Trying
by Ditey
Summary: "He'd been on a date before. Of course. Just not with Amy. And that made all the difference."


Author's Note: If you've already nominated some fiction in le Everwood Escapdes, give yourself a cookie. If you haven't, visit my supercool bio to learn more and vote, damnit! And bookmark it, because my next campaign will be for the actual voting process. ;-)  
  
And um. Read this story and review. Please. Thanks.   
  
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"Hey."  
  
"Hey."  
  
"Um. So. You ready?"  
  
"Hmm? Oh, right. Let me get my purse...okay."  
  
"Okay. There's the car. Let me..."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"You in?"  
  
"Yeah. So. Um. Here we go."  
  
"Yeah. I guess. Here we go."  
  
"So. What's up?"  
  
"What? Oh. Nothing much. What about you?"  
  
"Same."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
It was pretty damn obvious Ephram was nervous. If it wasn't the 'um's or stuttering, then it was probably the shuffling of his feet and wringing hands. He'd been on a date before. Of course. Just not with Amy. And that made all the difference.  
  
Right now, it meant the difference between his suave, cool and collected self, and the blundering guy tripping over his words with his eyes straight ahead on the road. His uneasiness must have diffused to Amy, for her eyes were cast downward as well, obviously finding something fascinating in her hands.   
  
Ephram debated against several conversation starters formed in his mind. 'What's new?' seemed plebeian. School talk would only make both of them depressed. 'Did you have a good summer?' Now there was a stupid one. Why didn't he just ask her about their trips to Denver...  
  
He decided to say nothing and switch his glance to the side Amy was not on. Thereby also eliminating the awkward moment when their eyes met.  
  
Amy's voice broke him from his thoughts. And some deep thoughts they were. Ephram was nevertheless relieved that Amy decided to take some of the pressure off him to start a conversation and wake them up from eternal boredom.  
  
"Can we take this road instead?"  
  
Ephram gave her a quizzical look. "Why? Cutting through Oakland Drive and meeting back up with the main road would be faster."  
  
"I know." She looked down, again studying something in her hands. "It's just. We wouldn't have to pass..."  
  
More pressure.  
  
Ephram cut her off with his silence and took the long way.  
  
***  
  
"I think we're there."  
  
"Yeah. Me too."  
  
Both of them mentally slapped themselves for saying something so stupid and irreverant.   
  
The Fall Thaw was unusualy large and lively for a festival that was almost cancelled. Both Amy and Ephram took in their surroundings, relieved to be free of the uneasy quietness and immersed in laughing and carousel music.  
  
"They really outdid themselves this time," Amy commented.  
  
"Yeah. Last year's Fall Thaw..."  
  
"Um. Hey, what's that over there? You want to enter the raffle?"  
  
"Okay. Yeah."  
  
Ephram filled out the form that promised him an all expenses paid trip to Aruba and dropped it in the box.   
  
"Now, you know that if you win, you have to take me," said Amy, sliding next to him.  
  
"Oh really. What's your reasoning?"  
  
"Well, I was the one that encouraged you to enter the raffle. Without me, you wouldn't have won. I deserve some sort of commission."  
  
"Okay, fine. You can come. But beach days are my days. Amy is prohibited."  
  
She exaggerated a frown. "And why is that?"  
  
"It's supposed to be rest and relaxation. You'd leave me too excited and too nervous."  
  
Amy smirked and danced off to the cotton candy stall.  
  
***  
  
"I want...that one." Amy pointed a a blue teddy bear in the corner. "Hmm, who knew Ephram was such an expert bottle knocker?"  
  
"Oh, you know. I had a lot of practice from my childhood. You don't have toys in New York. For fun, you throw rocks at bottle glasses. And car windshields."  
  
"That's how you became such a sharpshooter, huh?"  
  
"You could say that."  
  
"Well, you did win me this little guy." Amy smiled, looking down at the cuddly deep blue bear in her arms. "It's so cute! It looks exactly like..." Amy stopped walking, looking down at the small blue stuffed animal in her hands.   
  
"It's--I--I'll carry it," Ephram stuttered, taking the bear out of Amy's hands and veering her away to a popcorn stall. Amy followed, hesitantly.  
  
They stood in line behind an elderly man, an awkward silence creeping over them for the enth time that day.  
  
"Everyone seems...really happy," commented Ephram, once again charming Amy with his sparkling wit.  
  
"Yeah. They do." She watched five year olds go by with painted faces, playing games of tag accompanied by high pitched laughter. "I miss it."  
  
"Being happy?"  
  
"Yeah. There's just been so much going on and..."  
  
"I know."  
  
"It's really hard."  
  
"Well...I miss..it too. Even though depressed and tortured seems to be my thing." Ephram's lips curved just the slightest bit.  
  
"It is. But I like it when you smile too."  
  
Ephram's lips reflexed in a faint smile.  
  
***  
  
"So..." Ephram tried. The sun was setting, painting the mountains in its pinks and oranges. The had spent almost half an hour, just sitting next to each other on a park bench. Not saying anything, yet silent conversations playing back and forth.  
  
"Have we visited the Melting Man?"  
  
"Yeah. And I think the man is already melted."  
  
"Oh. Um. Spin the Wheel?"  
  
"About twenty times."  
  
"Did we get cotton candy? The Fall Thaw has the best cotton candy anywhere."  
  
"It was part of our lunch, as was ice cream, hot dogs, funnel cakes, and tons of other mindless calories."  
  
"Right. The Tiltalor?"  
  
"Until we were about to throw up our ice cream, hot dogs, and funnel cakes."  
  
"Oh. So, I guess there's nothing left to do but..." Amy reached for the tub of popcorn nervously and placed a kernel in her mouth.  
  
"Oh. That. Um. If you want to go on it..."  
  
"Yeah. It'll be fun," Amy said. She faltered, but placed her hand in Ephram's.  
  
***  
  
Ephram considered asking what people did up there, other than wait for their early demise and ask really stupid questions. But it really didn't seem like the place. Amy sat next to him, watching out from her side of the compartment.  
  
"It's actually really nice up here," commented Ephram, glancing Amy's way for a second. She seemed lost in her thoughts until his voice snapped her back.  
  
She smiled. "My brother and I used to go together. He used to love getting stuck at the top and seeing everything down below. I'm not sure why he won't go on anymore. He and...they used to come together every year. I'd just tag along. They were really good friends, you know?"  
  
Ephram nodded cooperatively.  
  
"Yeah. I thought the Ferris Wheel was romantic or something. At night, they'll start these fireworks. And the best spot is up here, at the top. He..he used to sit with me. And..."  
  
Amy suddenly stopped talking. Ephram looked at her with concerned eyes, while hers remained looking down at her shoes.  
  
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't talk about...I mean, it's in the past, right? People say I have a bad habit of living in the past. Do you think I do that? It's just really hard not to. I think about...a lot. And it never seems to let me go. I close my eyes and it's like...I keep living that day. I keep thinking of..."  
  
"Colin." Ephram's voice had an aire of finality, and he gave a soft sigh. Amy glanced up, as if he had said a taboo word, her brown eyes glazed.   
  
"Yeah." She scooted towards him and lost herself in his reassuring arms.  
  
Ephram exhaled, afraid that Amy would see his lower lip trembling. He just thought they could get through their first date without the mention of the death of Colin.  
  
Ephram's lips wanted to reflex in, "Grover, it'll be okay."  
  
But he didn't want to let either of them begin to cry.  
  
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I would just like to take this opportunity to say that if Colin dies, I might just take out the Explorer and run over that stupid WB frog. Do the Right Thing, WB! I'm counting on you!  
  
Reviews will be cherished. Forever. Visit le Escapdes. And keep in touch.   
  
And try to have some fun before summer ends. 


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